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Psychological evaluations of officers under review

Documents: About 15 minutes spent with some aspiring police officers

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Updated: 2:50 PM EDT Aug 7, 2015

The 11 News I-Team has uncovered new information about the company accused of rushing through psychological evaluations of aspiring police officers. Lutherville-based Psychology Consultants Associated does psychological screening on police applicants. The firm has contracts with a number of law enforcement agencies including city police.

Psychological evaluations of officers under review

Documents: About 15 minutes spent with some aspiring police officers

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Updated: 2:50 PM EDT Aug 7, 2015

BALTIMORE —

The 11 News I-Team has uncovered new information about the company accused of rushing through psychological evaluations of aspiring police officers.

Documents said they spent only about 15 minutes with some.

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On Thursday, the mayor announced that in addition to a formal investigation, she is looking into suspending the contract or putting the company on probation while monitoring how evaluations are handled.

Lutherville-based Psychology Consultants Associated does psychological screening on police applicants. The firm has contracts with a number of law enforcement agencies including city police.

The city inspector general and city law department is now investigating whether PCA is rushing the evaluation process in violation of terms of its contract. The whistleblower charges that she brought it to the attention of the deputy mayor in May, but nothing was done until the claims were exposed in news stories.

Kevin Harris, a spokesman for the mayor's office, said they took immediate action.

"We were not able to share that information with her because it's an ongoing investigation. So no one sat on this. No one declined to take it seriously," Harris said.

The State's Attorney General Office documents indicate it started when PCA solicited a local psychologist to assist in performing 15-minute assessments on recruits. The professional standard is a minimum hour-long session.

The whistleblower said she was told that a record of the brief evaluation would be produced in a boiler plate report.

AG documents indicate PCA President Dr. Kenneth Sachs offered to pay the psychologist under the table.

The report also indicates that Sachs sent the psychologist four actual patient assessments rather than samples, a potential violation of federal law.

Baltimore City Sen. Catherine Pugh calls the allegations disturbing. As co-chair of a state task force looking into police practices she is particularly interested in psychological evaluations.

Pugh spoke to 11 News by phone from a conference in Seattle.

"I can't believe that we are getting or ascertaining the kind of information that we need in order to render police officers fit to serve our communities. It is very disturbing," Pugh said.

The allegations come as the Police Department is trying to improve community relations. A thorough evaluation of applicants could weed out those who don't have the temperament for the job. Pugh said she plans to use this case to further her cause.

"Should we be evaluating them every three years, every five years? I don't know the answer to that, but the fact that we are not doing that to the level we should currently, again, is very disturbing," Pugh said.

The contract also calls for fitness for duty assessments. This would have included Lt. Brian Rice, who is one of the six officers charged in the police in-custody death of Freddie Gray.

Court records indicate that in 2012 there was concern about his self-control and judgment after he threatened the mother of his child with a semi-automatic handgun.

Maryland State Police put PCA on probation on June 10 after determining the firm spent just 15 minutes on evaluations instead of the required 45 minutes.

The mayor's office released a statement Friday that follows in its entirety:

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake announced Baltimore City will immediately suspend referring any additional employees, police officers or their family members to Psychology Consultants Associated P.A. (PCA), pending the outcome of ongoing investigations from the city’s law department and office of the inspector general.

Services will now be provided through Atlantic OccuPsych in Towson, Maryland. Atlantic OccuPsych is operated by principal psychologist Dr. Steve Curran.

Atlantic OccuPsych will provide a broad range of services, including pre-hire mental examinations, follow-up and fitness for reassignment examinations, as well as continued fitness for duty exams. Employees who wish to continue existing services under PCA during the suspension period may do so, however PCA will not receive new clients from the city or the police department at this time.

“Mayor Rawlings-Blake has decided to indefinitely suspend services performed by Psychology Consultants Associated P.A. pending the outcome of ongoing investigations,” said Kevin Harris, spokesman for the Mayor’s Office. “Through ongoing litigation, additional information has come to the Mayor’s attention which makes it necessary to temporarily suspend our contract with PCA until further notice. Because this matter remains an open investigation, we cannot comment further, however the Mayor’s actions today should not be interpreted as any determination of liability on behalf of PCA. The Mayor will make a final determination on the status of PCA’s contract at the conclusion of the open investigations to determine if PCA has satisfactorily met the terms of their contract with the city."

Psychological operations and assessments of city employees and police officers will not be impacted in anyway due to the suspension of services from PCA.